Join Toastmasters Open House April 4 to Sharpen Public Speaking Skills

Blue Devil Toastmasters Club hosts free in person or Zoom gathering to learn how Toastmasters builds communication, leadership skills

A microphone and lectern.

Get a first-hand look at how Toastmasters can help sharpen your communication skills when the Blue Devil Toastmasters Club holds a public open house from noon-1 p.m. on April 4.

Open to anyone in the Duke and Durham communities, the free open house will feature elements of regular Toastmasters meetings, such as short talks on a range of topics with members offering constructive feedback, as well as a talk by guest speaker Sabrina Netters, an IBM Software Developer and experienced Toastmaster.

The hybrid event will be available to join on Zoom or in-person at Conference Room A at Duke Behavioral Health North Durham at Duke Regional Hospital. Participants can register for the event here.

“The idea is to give people who may be interested in improving their public speaking or leadership skills a chance to see how Toastmasters works in action,” said Mark Schreiner, Blue Devil Toastmasters Club Vice President of Public Relations and a Senior Content Strategist for the Pratt School of Engineering.

Duke is home to two chapters of Toastmasters International, a global network of more than 15,000 clubs where members hone their public speaking abilities in a fun and supportive environment.

The Blue Devil Toastmasters Club meets at noon on the first and third Fridays of each month. The meeting on the first Friday is hybrid with a Zoom and in-person component. The meeting on the third Friday is held only on Zoom.

“In this era people need to be able to communicate effectively virtually, since so many meetings are virtual,” Schreiner said. “But having in-person meetings is a special opportunity to be able to build the skill of face-to-face communications.”

The Duke Toastmasters Club hosts meetings on Zoom on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.

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